Overview
An interface that appears on the player character's cell phone is used for immersion, as it makes the game world seem more real by drawing on the player's experience with actual phones.
Usually such interfaces amount to a cell phone-themed menu, with no functionality outside the standard list of options. In more recent games, a cell phone may also receive calls and texts from other characters (GTA 4), serve as a GPS (Silent Hill: Shattered Memories) or even take screenshots.
In-game cell phones are also a great way to slip in some product placement; in Tony Hawk: Ride, for example, the cell phone that displays menus and cutscenes is a clearly-branded T-Mobile Sidekick.
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